by Erin Kowtko
It’s that time of year where many of us make New Year’s resolutions. How do we want to make 2017 our best year to date? What areas of our life do we want to develop: career, health, travel, family? A Vision Board is an excellent way to help manifest your deepest intentions.
As a former athlete, visualization was a large component of my success. I found results in the mindset of wanting my dream so deeply that I truly lived it and kept it close in my mind and heart. Seeing images of your dream on a daily basis imprints it into your mind and – cheesy as it may sound – you begin to subconsciously act in line with your goal. For example, in my younger years, one of my most effective shots on the tennis court was a down the line backhand. It’s no coincidence that on my vision board I had a picture of the talented Williams sisters executing that exact same shot. Every time I saw that image my mindset shifted to the court, where I planned and played that shot in my mind and ultimately practiced it on the court. Our mind is a powerful tool and once we harness its power, the sky is the limit.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the concept, a Vision Board is a platform to detail your goals and desires. I currently use a corkboard and I have seen others use a poster board or quite literally a particular wall in their home. However, there are some folks who don’t have the physical space to dedicate to that and thank goodness for the internet. J I discovered several websites that offer a Virtual Vision Board.
The first one that stood out to me was Hay House Vision Board App. It’s free, accessible on iTunes for iPhones, and Ipads and easy to use. You may use pictures off your own camera or images from the web. This also offer the snazzy feature of voice memo: you can record a phrase that you like and have it accessible on your board. Certain mantras hit home for us and help us work towards our desired goal.
The second app that stood out to me was Jack Canfield Success Vision Board. Mr. Canfield is a motivational speaker and has made his livelihood helping others manifest the best version of themselves. Though his app is not free ($1.99) this app gets my vote for ease of use, detail and the fact that it is easy to believe his passion. You may add pictures and affirmations, and if you’re so inclined, share your board on Facebook, Twitter or others in the vision board group. After I researched his app, I looked him up and found a helpful article he wrote on what to place on your Vision Board to make it as effective as possible. He strressed the importance of focusing on your Board and visualizing prior to bedtime as the images you see will replay in your mind thru the night.
Another app that is accessible for Mac, iPhones and Ipads is My Vision Board. It appears super straight forward, however it was frustrating for me because I did not want to grant it access to my camera roll. I get a little hesitant about that and not allowing access made it impossible for me to maneuver around the app. That said, if you’re willing to give access to your camera roll, this app looks neat. What makes this app special is that it features 9 specific categories that comprise the Bagua Map, which is important for harmony, according to Feng Shui. It’s cool to have that direction to help you think inclusively about all areas of your life.
Last but not least, Oprah Winfrey featured a Vision Board tool from a website called BettyVision. To my knowledge this is not available via app at this time. This one is unique in that it allows you to “follow” others and their vision boards, much like Pinterest. It allows you to have captions on a particular picture where you may place as much detail as you want. Another upside to this site is that it enables you to share your vision board with the world if you like. For the young whippersnappers, this might be more appealing. In my humble opinion, “Following” other vision boards didn’t warm my heart as it seemed to take the focus off of your personal goals.
Whatever path you choose for a Vision Board, may it help you manifest a rewarding 2017!
Erin Kowtko
Erin has years of experience in the healthcare and non-profit sector. She brings her skills and passion to benefit Network 1’s team, clients and partners. She strives to provide the best service and solutions to her clients so they can achieve greatness through Worry-Free IT.
ekowtko@network1consulting.com or 404.997.7656
Network 1 Consulting is an 18-year-old, IT Support company in Atlanta, GA. We become – or augment – the IT department for law firms and medical practices. Our IT experts can fix computers, but what our clients value most highly are the industry-specific best practices we bring to their firms. This is especially important today as technology, along with its associated regulations and cyber-threats, is changing so rapidly. We take a proactive approach to helping our clients use technology to gain and keep their competitive advantage.
